A Chance Meeting

I glided along at a leisurely pace, my mind aswarm with thoughts of what might await me in the days to come. To be honest, I knew very little about this world, Andras having taught me only the essentials. I was aware that the forest we lived in was called the Far Reach, a swath of untamed wilderness that separated the lands of humanity in the south from the chaotic region to the north. It was rare for humans to wander this far past the Edge of the World, the boundary that marked the very borders of their settled territory, as there really was not much of anything out here of interest. The group Andras and I had encountered had very likely been a party of academics looking to catalogue more of the plants and animals that inhabited the area, making them outliers among their kind.

This was why I was not too worried about being seen, at least not yet. The dragonslayer had a nearly three-week lead on me by now, and I thought it was safe to assume she was long gone. Plus, I estimated that it would probably be a few days of flight before I even reached the Edge of the World, let alone any settlements.

Below me, the endless expanse of emerald green trees and field grasses passed by in a blur, broken only by the occasional brown butte, standing tall amidst the otherwise flat scenery. Eventually I came upon a shallow stream, the water barely even flowing, and decided to follow it as it snaked its way southwest across the landscape.

Hours of following the creek later, I discovered a tiny pond in a rough shape that reminded me of a gourd, and decided to drop down to rest my weary wings. Approaching the water’s edge, I leaned down and took a long sip of the crystalline liquid, relishing the cool crispness as it soothed my parched throat. Something caught my attention out of the corner of my vision, something that seemed oddly out of place on the bank nearby, and I swiveled an eye towards it.

Resting upon a thick brown towel laid a set of neatly-folded clothing, with a wooden bow and quiver of arrows lying beside. The bundle of fur was a far cry from the armored dress of the dragonslayer, Alice, so I was more curious than worried. Where there’s clothing, there should be someone to wear them, I reasoned, and slowly redirected my gaze out over the pond in front of me…and came snout-to-face with a young woman!

She was staring at me with mouth agape, doing her best to cover herself with her hands. As I met her green eyes, that initially shocked expression changed into a mix of embarrassment and fear, her face turning nearly as red as her strawberry-blonde hair. The scream caught in her throat croaked out weakly, as if it was unsure it wanted to be heard at all.

My eyes went wide in surprise, and I choked mid-drink, blowing water out of my nose – and inadvertently soaking her – as I reared backwards, stumbling away from the water’s edge. My body twisted and shrunk as I hastily shifted into human form, my panicked mind thinking that somehow it might make things better. Please be wearing clothes, I thought miserably, and heaved a sigh of relief as I looked down to see my familiar grassy garments.

Still flustered and struggling to get a grasp on the situation at hand, I continued to back up when a root snagged my heel and I toppled over onto my backside with a grunt. Holding my hands out in front of me, and trying not to stare, I exclaimed, “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t think anyone would be out here!” By all rights, there should not have been. Which begged the question, who exactly was she?

A few seconds passed in silence as she stared at me entirely dumbfounded, water dripping from her hair and the tip of her nose. Then, she snorted and broke out into laughter, dissipating the tension of the situation.

“Sorry,” I repeated, turning to flee, “I’ll leave now.”

Before I could go more than a step, however, she stilled herself and called out, “Wait, don’t go! I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have laughed at you. I just didn’t expect to ever see a dragon be so embarrassed!” She chuckled lightly at the thought, adding, “Give me a moment to make myself, umm…decent.”

I paused mid-step, curious. Even if I had made a bit of a fool of myself, and had reverted to human form, would most people normally be so relaxed around someone they knew to be a dragon? I stood still, gazing into the treeline in a pointed attempt to give her some privacy. Behind me, I heard the sloshing sound of water as she waded to the bank and dried herself off before retrieving her clothing.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, she said, “Okay, you can turn around, now.”

I did so, to see her fully clothed in a raiment stitched together from various different animal furs, a simply-made outfit consisting of stout boots, a skirt and sleeveless brown leather vest, and a fur-lined hooded shawl. She had her bow slung over a shoulder and quiver fastened to the thick belt at her waist, and was busy tying her light red hair up into a ponytail. Now that I was level with her, I realized that she was only a bit shorter than me, and although she was thin, she appeared rather fit.

Could she be a dragonslayer like that other girl? I thought, cautiously watching her as she shook out her hair. No, I think she’d be more proactive, were that the case. Guess I might as well just ask.

“You seem to be handling this awfully well,” I told her, “Most people would be cowering in the dirt or soiling themselves after having such a close encounter with a dragon.”

She cocked her head, studying me for a moment before she replied, “Well, I admit that I was pretty surprised when you first appeared, but…I don’t know. I can’t say why, but you don’t seem like a bad dragon. I mean, you haven’t even tried to eat me, yet.”

“I’d starve if I tried to make a meal out of you.” I scoffed in response, without thinking.

She blinked at my remark, and stood up straight, puffing out her chest proudly. “I’ll take that as a compliment, Mister Dragon.”

Her upbeat demeanor was practically infectious, and I smiled in spite of myself. No, she definitely was not a dragonslayer. She was just easy-going, a refreshing change of pace from the other humans and the imps I had met so far. “I’m Leolyn,” I told her.

“Leolyn…” she repeated in a measured tone, as if testing the feel of the unfamiliar name on her tongue. “Right! Where are my manners? My apologies, it’s just been me and my grandmother out here for…well, for as long as I can remember! I haven’t actually gotten the chance to talk with anyone else in years. My name is Rillesia, but you can call me Rill. If,” she added, “I can call you Leo?”

I sighed as she extended her hand towards me. Easy-going doesn’t even begin to describe this girl, I thought wryly as I took her hand and said, “Deal.”

“Hehe!” She giggled triumphantly, a grin splitting her face as she twirled around. “I can’t wait to tell Granny about this!”

I shook my head as I watched her, thinking to myself, Most people don’t even bother to venture past the Edge of the World, supposedly, but these two are living out here? There’s something more to this story, there has to be.

“So, it’s just the two of you?” I wondered suspiciously.

“Yeah,” she replied, growing a bit somber as she continued, “Granny raised me since I was a baby, and taught me everything I know. She doesn’t really get along with people, but it’s never been a problem, until recently. Lately, she’s…”

The girl trailed off, and after a few moments, I prompted, “She’s…?”

Rill glanced up at the sky, which was slowly turning red as the sun fell towards the horizon. Rather than elaborating, she instead changed the topic, saying, “Hey, I have an idea. Our cabin is nearby, so why don’t you join us for supper? I mean, it beats hunting around in the dark, right? And I’m sure Granny would love to meet you!”

“Ahh…” I began, unsure of what to tell her. My initial instinct was to decline. Something was strange about this whole situation, and I was still a bit on edge after my near-death experience with the dragonslayer. Still, there was also something overpoweringly genuine about this girl, and I sensed absolutely no ill intent from her. Looking at the innocent expression on her face, I couldn’t help but give in and say, “Oh, alright. If it’s not a bother, that is.”

Her eyes lit up as she assured me, “No, not at all! Follow me, I’ll show you the way.”

As she skipped off, humming to herself, I fell into step behind her. I’ll air on the side of caution, I told myself, hoping that I was not making a mistake in trusting her.